Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata

Episode: "Nicole's Ice Cream Escapades" (March 4, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata embrace the chaos and hilarity of everyday life, celebrating friendship through stories about bodies, fitness, Ninja Creami ice cream misadventures, neighbor drama, and pop culture debates. The duo offers their signature warmth, support, and uproarious commentary, tackling everything from PMS and pole dancing to secondhand kitchen appliances and soothing listener quandaries. Packed with honest reflections and peals of laughter, this episode is a quintessential slice of the Best Friends podcast.

Period Talk, Fitness, and Handstand Mishaps

Timestamps: 00:14 – 06:44

• Sasheer opens up about a surprise, less-painful period and the bodily signals she usually gets leading up to it. Nicole commiserates, describing intense mood swings and fighting with her partner—before realizing it’s PMS.
• "I woke up and I was like, respect that you're... and then I was like, wait, let me check the little period. And I was like, oh, it's nine days away. I am just angry." – Nicole (01:49)
• Discussion turns to body aches: Sasheer reminisces about having "achy boobies" and even an aching butt during PMS; Nicole’s current pain comes from her ambitious attempts at pole-dancing handstands, inspired by viral internet videos.
• Both talk about workout gadgets, with Sasheer describing a shoulder stand contraption she bought online but rarely uses, offering to lend it to Nicole.
• Nicole shares how her fitness instructors push her hard, making her "so tired,” but noting that she appreciates gaining strength for healthy aging: "I saw a video recently of this old lady...I worked out in my youth so I could keep walking normally in my old age." (06:07)

The Ninja Creami Ice Cream Saga

Timestamps: 06:44 – 15:30

• Nicole excitedly describes her new obsession: a secondhand Ninja Creami ice cream maker she scored on Facebook Marketplace.
• Hilarious recap of her first failed, unopened attempt with a new Creami, but triumph after braving a questionable Craigslist-style handoff: "I went on Facebook Marketplace, drove to East Pasadena to a house with no electricity and a man who came out of the backyard." (07:42)
• Ice cream experimentations: Nicole details her homemade flavors (strawberry milk Nesquik, "vanilla base with peanut butter chocolate sauce and Reese's peanut butter cups," chocolate pudding, and even a Diet Dr Pepper base).
  • "The creamy technology will creamify anything hard, real. It'll, like, really make it smooth. So it made the Reese's peanut butter cups a little too smooth for me." – Nicole (09:49)
• Sasheer suggests adding fruit, linking Nicole’s fruit journey to her new hobby.
• Tangents about manual juicers (“witch’s hat” style), foraged citrus and kumquats, and the general joys of Facebook Marketplace bargains.
• Philosophical debate on whether having unlimited soft serve at home ruins the treat: "If I have soft serve in my house, is it a treat or a chore?" – Nicole (13:56)
• Nicole dreams of a "summer adventure": walking to Foster's Freeze for soft serve with her dog.

Spider-Man, Marvel Lore, and "The Blip"

Timestamps: 15:30 – 20:17

• Nicole enjoys homemade ice cream during a Spider-Man binge, expressing devotion for Tobey Maguire as Spidey ("He is so perfectly cast" – Nicole, 15:54).
• The two debate Spider-Man canon: does Peter Parker’s webbing come from within, or does he invent it? Nicole’s mind is blown to find out the comic version makes it himself, not organically.
• Discussion of Marvel’s "blip" event: Where did everybody go for five years? Ally researches and reports, "They ceased to exist, essentially...did not age, and upon returning, they had no memories of the intervening five years." (18:58)
• Nicole pitches a TV show about the blip’s social implications, like separated twins and returning after years away: "I want to see how twins behave when the one twin comes back..." (18:15)

Dream Analysis & Friendship Banter

Timestamps: 20:17 – 29:52

• Nicole recounts a vivid dream where Sasheer was mean to her (refusing to talk about Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl). Sasheer apologizes: "I'm so sorry I was mean to you in your dream." (20:30)
• Ally looks up dream symbolism: being mistreated often relates to "repressed emotions, anxieties or insecurities," not literal slights (28:06).
• "Do you feel like I don't appreciate you?" – Sasheer (28:06)
• Nicole jokes that maybe she missed Sasheer too much while she was away.
• Transition into their food dreams: specifically, a hot dog and soft serve combo at a beloved LA restaurant. Nicole expresses anxiety that all her favorite places close (“anything I want is gonna go away. Yeah.” – 29:12)

Neighborhood Quirks and Building Community

Timestamps: 29:52 – 36:44

• Discussion of LA development changes, lamenting the closure of French restaurant Taix for condos, and musing about future residential Costcos.
• Nicole and Sasheer riff on neighbors, including odd encounters: Nicole’s neighbor cuts grass with scissors, jumps at her from the dark, and sometimes requests Advil or ginger ale for her dog.
• Sasheer shares about her own “security” neighbor who keeps a vigilant eye on the block, though he often traps her in lengthy conversations when she’s in a rush.

Pets, Health Updates, and Tooth Mishaps

Timestamps: 35:00 – 39:32

• Nicole gives an update on her dog Clyde’s surgery and recovery (complete with a cone, a boot, codeine-laced peanut butter treats, and some hill-pooping mysteries). "What a life...full of energy and then, oh, a treat...and then just, like, stoned for the rest of the day." – Nicole (57:07)
• Nicole thanks Sasheer for a thoughtful tooth jar gift post-dental emergency, riffing about the oddities of carrying lost teeth in her purse.
• Venting about modern dentistry and the pain she endured: "It was wild how much pain I actually was in and just simply didn't understand that." (35:32)

Listener Questions & Advice Corner

Timestamps: 58:14 – 77:02

1. Messy, Inconsiderate Ex-Roommate (58:16)

• Matt writes in, frustrated with living with a lazy, inconsiderate ex. Nicole and Sasheer urge him to seek a new roommate and offer strategies for more assertive communication (like moving the ex’s dirty dishes into his room).
  • "You won't have the memories of them inside you." – Nicole on why new roommates are easier (62:20)
  • Both stress: prioritize moving out for self-care and sanity.

2. 90s Prom Party & Postpartum Body Image (62:32)

• A listener feels anxious about dressing up for a 90s prom-themed party after having a baby. Nicole and Sasheer recommend embracing comfort ("oversized suit could work,” 64:13), finding a dress that fits the body now, and being gentle with oneself:
  • “Your body did something really incredible...some women have c-sections and you can’t fucking move...a whole human came out of you!” – Nicole (67:03)
  • Both advise: go to the party, have fun, wear what feels good.

3. Friend with Negative Attitude (68:18)

• A caller struggles with a friend whose constant negativity is exhausting. Sasheer is pro-conversation: tell them, “I’ve noticed you’ve been really negative lately—is something going on?” (70:54)
• Nicole advises addressing repeated offenses as they happen, but not using "you always" statements, which aren't constructive. "Let me guess, you were wronged. Let me guess, they were rude to you." – Nicole showing how to diffuse the pattern (72:39)
• Both note: If attempts at change fail, it's okay to distance yourself.

Rapid-fire Pop Culture, Wild Tangents, & Finale

Timestamps: 77:02 – End

• The duo riffs about racism, the Puerto Rican identity of Bad Bunny, and ignorant internet personalities moving to Puerto Rico but not supporting Puerto Rican representation.
• They ponder the hidden meanings of classic jokes and idioms (“Why did the chicken cross the road” as a euphemism for death, “blow this popsicle stand”), and the origins of pop song lyrics lost-in-translation (Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time”).
• A final, joyfully explicit riff on “nasty songs” about sex, culminating with:
  • “I love a nasty song...be nasty. I don’t want euphemisms. Make it clear. Come on me, come in my face, give me a pearl necklace, come on my titties, give me a cum bra...” – Nicole (81:05)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "If I have soft serve in my house, is it a treat or a chore?" – Nicole (13:56)
• “You won’t have the memories of them inside you.” – Nicole (62:26)
• “Your body did something really incredible. The worst part about it was gaining weight, which I don’t think is a bad thing.” – Nicole (64:26)
• “I was put on this earth to carry teeth around in plastic bags...but now I carry it in a wooden bag.” – Nicole (36:37)
• “I love Spider-Man 1. Tobey Maguire is so perfectly cast as Spider-Man.” – Nicole (15:48)
• “That must be how babies feel all the time. They get fed, fall asleep, and wake up in a Costco.” – Nicole (58:05)

Summary of Tone & Chemistry

The episode showcases Nicole and Sasheer’s signature candid, loving, and raucously funny style. They create space for vulnerability, genuine life updates, and ridiculous tangents. Even amidst heavy topics—body image, aging, dealing with exes—the friends offer each other and listeners both empathy and reasons to laugh. The language is unfiltered, the banter affectionate, and the energy infectious.

For anyone seeking a pick-me-up, commiseration, and a reminder that everyday life is endlessly weird and worthy of celebration, this episode is a must-listen.